NOTE this plant is only able to ship during cool mild weather because of the possibility of heat or cold damage in transit. In our large 4 1/2" pots.
Cilantro is the most difficult herb to grow because it is so short lived and it needs cool temperatures to grow well. Many people think that they kill Cilantro because it doesn't last very long when they purchase plants at their local nursery. Cilantro will bolt (send up a flower stalk) as soon as the roots get above 75 degrees or so. This happens really quick in a small 3" pot in hot sun in a nursery yard.
We often see this plant already flowering at the larger warehouse type stores. Cilantro needs to be grown in early spring or fall when the weather is cool. It requires mostly sunshine but can be grown in morning sun and shade in the hot afternoon. Growing it in the ground with mulch on top of the roots helps keep the soil cooler longer.
With the best conditions Cilantro will last about 8-10 weeks before flowering. Once it does flower, it will make seeds which can be harvested as Coriander or replanted to grow more Cilantro plants. Many people grow Cilantro by reseeding it every 3 weeks or so and have a patch growing all summer long. Planting it very close together shades the roots and helps keep it cool.
To harvest Cilantro, you can begin cutting as soon as the plant is about 6" tall by removing the outer leaves and leaving the growing point intact for the new leaves to grow from. Another method is to wait till the plant is almost completely grown and pull it up by its roots to use the whole bunch at once.
For cooking, use Cilantro in salsas and other Mexican dishes as well as Thai and Indian curries or anywhere you want the flavor to be strong and pungent. Keep in mind that many people are not Cilantro lovers so go easy on it at that dinner party. Cilantro is easy to store by chopping and blending leaves with a little water or olive oil and placing it in a freezer bag to store.
